Articles and Blogs

Last week’s CPI report indicated persistent inflation, leading the WSJ to report that Federal rate cuts are now a matter of “if, not just when.” Interest rates remaining higher for longer could cause more pain in the commercial real estate industry, although some experts predict owners will give up on waiting. Hartford HealthCare issued... READ MORE

BBG Real Estate Services published its Seniors Housing Investor Survey 2024. Among the findings include: (i) cap rates for senior housing are expected to remain flat or decrease in 2024; (ii) rental rate growth is expected to increase significantly, particularly for assisted living and memory care; and (iii) higher transaction volume is expected to... READ MORE

Steward Health Care plans to sell its physician group to Optum. The health system has struggled financially and believes the sale will provide much-needed cash for the health system. Steward’s physician group operates in nine states. Georgia lawmakers have tentatively agreed on a plan to provide several exceptions to the state’s Certificate of Need... READ MORE

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has agreed to pay $418M to settle claims that it inflated real estate commissions. Under the settlement, NAR will change its rules to 1) no longer require agents to subscribe to multiple listing services (MLS); 2) prohibit selling agents from posting commissions they will pay to buyer agents... READ MORE

Average MOB cap rates have increased for five consecutive quarters, ending Q4 2023 at 6.9%. Average MOB triple-net asking rent increased by 0.4% year-over-year to $23.66 per sf. Hackensack Meridian Health (NJ) broke ground on a $200M health and wellness facility being built adjacent to a public transit facility to enhance access for patients.... READ MORE

Georgia legislators have passed a bill to relax Certificate of Need rules for certain hospital projects in rural areas of the state. The bill still requires additional approvals before it becomes law. Florida legislators proposed a series of bills to limit the liability of passive investors in assisted living facilities (“ALFs”) located in Florida.... READ MORE

Health care REITs Healthpeak Properties, Inc. and Physicians Realty Trust closed a $21B merger. The combined company oversees a 52 million-sf portfolio, including 40 million sf of outpatient medical office properties concentrated in high-growth markets such as Dallas, Houston, Nashville, Phoenix and Denver. The remaining square footage is lab space. A recent NEJM Catalyst... READ MORE

JLL released its 2024 Senior Housing Investor Survey. Key takeaways: 1. Senior housing occupancy continues to show recovery following the pandemic; 2. Transaction volume was down 33% last year based on challenges in the capital markets; 3. Cap rates sit at 7%; 4. Construction starts are down more than 50% from 2021 peak levels;... READ MORE

A Modern Healthcare article highlighted ways providers are increasingly turning to real estate transactions to generate cash flow to ease financial pressures and help navigate evolving care delivery models. A JLL survey indicated that 44% of hospital clients expect their real estate portfolio to shrink over the next 3-5 years. Intermountain welcomed its first... READ MORE

Novant Health acquired three hospitals in South Carolina from Tenet Healthcare for $2.4B, including Hilton Head Hospital, East Cooper Medical Center and Coastal Carolina Hospital. The next state considering Certificate of Need (CON) reform is Kentucky according to a recent Becker’s article. At least four bills have been introduced to change the CON law,... READ MORE